‘PRAIRIE’ TANKS & ‘B-SET’ COACHES

The Great Western Railway operated many classic branch line trains, but one of the most recognisable was the ‘B-set’, a pair of non-corridor Brake Composites coupled together. Rapido is to produce the Diagram E140 coach, introduced in 1930 and sporting a guard’s compartment, a single First Class compartment and five Third Class compartments. The coaches were closecoupled in a fixed formation with the brake compartments at the outer ends and operating in the Bristol and Cardiff areas, as well as around Birmingham, Worcester and Devon and Cornwall.

Various GWR and BR liveries will be offered, with six packs to choose from and delivery is expected in late 2023/early 2024. Price: £169.95 per set Web: www.rapidotrains.co.uk

Derails of Coleford has commissioned an exclusive version of Rapido’s ‘B-set’, in GWR Shirtbutton livery, but without regional allocation markings, allowing modellers to apply their own. Derails is offering 15% off the listed price of £169.95 on early bird pre-orders, for a limited time only, with just a £10 deposit required to secure a set.

Tel: 01594 835935 Web: www.derails.co.uk/derails-b-set

To match the new ‘B-set’ coach packs, Rapido Trains has also announced a range of all-new GWR ‘Prairie’ tanks for ‘OO’, encompassing the ‘45XX’, ‘4575’ and ‘44XX’ 2-6-2Ts.

Sales & Marketing Manager Richard Foster said, “We’re delighted to add the ‘Small Prairie’ family to our range. Having decided to produce the GWR ‘B-set’ coaching stock, we needed a locomotive to pull them, and what better choice is there than the ‘Small Prairie’?

“We plan to not only bring you ‘45XXS’ and ‘4575s’ to the highest standards demanded but also offer a ‘44XX’ too, which has never been produced ready-to-run before.”

Design work is well under way, with key differences and modifications catered for, across the long working lifetimes of the prototypes.

For more information, see the Rapido Trains website.

Web: www.rapidotrains.co.uk